What are we reading? 22/04/2024

[AB76]

scarletnoir wrote: "I have started by Percival Everett, and so far am enjoying it very much. There is a story - our protagonist Thelonius 'Monk' Ellson is a writer and university professor..."

we are reading this at same time, though you may finish it before me...i am enjoying it

[AB76]

Gpfr wrote: "Berkley wrote: "FrustratedArtist wrote: " I've got to the reign of boy King Edvard VI... "Edward’s reign, more than any other, saw the obliteration of the country’s religious past,"

And was there ..."

Cromwell was a moderate in religious terms for the era, a solid Congregationalist, who were the moderates among the Puritans. though strongly non-conformist and anti-established church

[Bill]

I haven't been buying many books in the past year-plus, limiting myself to the sizable stock on hand and an occasional library book, but now I've ordered The Devil Prefers Mozart: On Music and Musicians, 1962-1993.

I wasn't so much sold by the podcast on the book from the Burgess foundation:
https://www.anthonyburgess.org/blog-p...
but more from looking at the table of contents on Amazon, which promised lots of the sort of things I enjoy reading.

However, the podcast did get me to re-acquainting myself with the Burgess foundation website. I'd listened to the early podcasts on Ninety-Nine Novels: The Best in English Since 1939, which Burgess biographer Andrew Biswell speaks with a critic or writer on one of the novels from Burgess' list. Since I last checked in, a lot of novels have been added; I just listened to a podcast on Falstaff: A Novel (a novel I didn't care for very much) and will now move on to Gravity’s Rainbow, which ranks extremely high among my reading highlights.

Here's a list of the available podcasts, if anyone wants to hear a discussion of a novel they might be interested in.
https://www.anthonyburgess.org/?s=99+...

[AB76]

I read my first Stefan Zweig novel in 2007, it was Beware of Pity at a time where i was exploring the Austro-Hungarian world.

Now 17 years later i have finally started his autobiography/memoir The World of Yesterday ,the reasons for such a delay remain foggy, possibly the book was only available in a pricey version, though i'm not sure.

Zweig and Joseph Roth were perhaps the most famous chroniclers of the Hapsburg world they saw fall apart and recalled, in repetition many times in great novels and stories. The interesting thing about Zweig for me is that he lived in the old world of Austro-Hungary until he was 33(Roth was only 20 in 1914). Hence Zweig grew into early maturity under the stern gaze of Franz-Joseph and the seemingly eternal Hapsburg world

There is a great line in the foward written by Zweig where he remarks " never until our time has mankind as a while acted so diabolically, or made such almost divine progress

[AB76]

Bill wrote: "I haven't been buying many books in the past year-plus, limiting myself to the sizable stock on hand and an occasional library book, but now I've ordered [book:The Devil Prefers Mozart: On Music an..."

from the Burgess list i have ordered:

Coopers Scenes from a provincial life
Malamuds The Assistant.
and Sansoms The Body

i already had Schulberg from Oxfam browse last week

thanks Bill....!

[RussellinVT]

Bill wrote: "Logger24 wrote: "Apropos Philip Glass...."

I've heard Haimovitz, but Simone Dinnerstein was a new name to me. ..."

Dinnerstein’s Goldberg Variations are I believe what made her name. The opening bars alone make me tremble.

I didn’t know about her ”non-traditional” commitment. We saw her in a totally conventional concert hall setting, packed with a lot of other gray-haired people.

The quote she uses from Bacon I think of often, as peculiarly true: “There is no excellent beauty that hath not some strangeness in the proportion.” From Essay XLIII. He was addressing only human physical beauty.

Thanks also for putting me onto her pairing of Glass with the Schubert.

[RussellinVT]

AB76 wrote: "Logger24 wrote: "... thankfully no April heatwave as sometimes happens..."

interesting you get april heatwaves that far north, or is it relative heatwaves, so 17-18c, compared to the prevailing weather of the season..."

Real heat waves in my book, 80+F, 27+C, and very hot in the sun. Maybe 2-3 times in the last ten years. It seems we’re heading towards 74F, 23C, this weekend, but that’s all right, and after that it gets cooler again.

Vermont sounds as though it's a long way north, but in fact it's south of the UK. Where we are is the same latitude as Siena.

[AB76]

Logger24 wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Logger24 wrote: "... thankfully no April heatwave as sometimes happens..."

interesting you get april heatwaves that far north, or is it relative heatwaves, so 17-18c, compared to the ..."

great point about latitude, yes the UK is a lot further north than the entire country of the USA i think. Most northerly part of mainland USA is Minnesota at 49N, which is level with the Isle of Scilly(49N), the southernmost point in the UK. (London is at 51.5N). Its remarkable how far behind Vermont was with spring colours during the eclipse coverage, despiite that southern location but thats a continental climate for you. In the Shires, serious snowfall has occurred twice in last 14 years (by serious i mean inches deep and over a few days), other than that its been a day of sleet or maybe 24 hrs lying snow only

27c is deffo heatwave for April!

I remember my grandfathers old geography book, which i now have, dated 1899, which makes the point that snowbound Edmonton, Alberta is on the same latitiude as foggy, wet Glasgow ....the gulf stream keeps these islands far, far milder than they should be

[Bill]

AB76 wrote: "Coopers Scenes from a provincial life
Malamuds The Assistant.
and Sansoms The Body

i already had Schulberg from Oxfam browse last week"

I've read a number of the books on Burgess' list and have accumulated a few more that I haven't yet read, but none of those you mention are in either category.

I've read one Schulberg (What Makes Sammy Run? )and one Malamud (A New Life), but I'm not sure I'm going to further pursue the work of either one.

I don't think Burgess' list is anything close to "the best literature of the last 44 years"; I think it was more of a way for AB to recycle some of the many introductions and reviews he'd written over the years into the quick fulfillment of a book contract. But he usually has something interesting to say about the books in his brief entries on them.

[AB76]

Bill wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Coopers Scenes from a provincial life
Malamuds The Assistant.
and Sansoms The Body

i already had Schulberg from Oxfam browse last week"

I've read a number of the books on Burgess' li..."

both Malamud and Schulberg novels will be the first i have read of either author, when i get round to reading them...i might find the same results as you Bill

[AB76]

Supreme Court and the Trump immunity situation is embarassing, having politically appointed judges in the US system is a major problem when things get messy, like now

[Paul]

AB76 wrote: "Supreme Court and the Trump immunity situation is embarassing, having politically appointed judges in the US system is a major problem when things get messy, like now"

Is the British system really any different? An independent commission rating merit seems like another name for an Old Boys Club and in my 25 years of merit based science I've yet to see anything that actually rewards anything but conformity

[AB76]

Paul wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Supreme Court and the Trump immunity situation is embarassing, having politically appointed judges in the US system is a major problem when things get messy, like now"

Is the British ..."

Very good question Paul. I just am really concerned that due to his appointments to the SC, he will be able to minimise the impact of his many trials, if he wins in November. Or delay them until he is President and then he will get the federal cases dropped ASAP

[Paul]

AB76 wrote: "Paul wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Supreme Court and the Trump immunity situation is embarassing, having politically appointed judges in the US system is a major problem when things get messy, like now"

Is..."

Yeah, I agree but I think the federal judgements are tenuous at best, the state prosecutions however are where the bite comes in. I don't really see it as any more ridiculous than recognizing nobility by birth or giving veto powers to a couple of inbred royals. I think the point is simply not to elect him, that would be the solution

[AB76]

Paul wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Paul wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Supreme Court and the Trump immunity situation is embarassing, having politically appointed judges in the US system is a major problem when things get messy, ..."

so true, so true, on the election which i hope is the conclusion, an election loss for Trump

I agree he can interfere a lot less with state decisions if he is elected President. I just wish they would get on with it, the old fool has been a master at delaying court cases and playing games for decades

Good point on the nobility by birth situation, i guess sometimes on this side of the pond we can sometimes overlook a similar privilege in the USA, for those with $$$$. If the chump didnt have money, we would know his fate by now...no expensive lawyers and no delaying tactics

[AB76]

The World of Yesterday has started well, the tone and style of Zweig is wonderful, as he slowly starts telling the journey of his life, his ancestry from Moravia(Paternal) and Ancona (maternal).

He explains the fundamentals of Jewish society in Vienna, its position and interests and the longing Jewish families had for one member to be an "intellectual", amid all the hard work and business

So many of the Viennese Jews came from areas like Moravia, Bohemia and Galicia, before flourishing in the Imperial Capital. The actual Jewish populations of Bohemia and Moravia(now the Czech Republic) were quite small and concentrated in the cities and small towns, unlike Galicia which was poorer and had a much larger Jewish population

A lot of the first 40 pages has triggered an intense and pleasurable feeling of deja-vu, which i always get when re-visiting the world of Austro-Hungary. My travels in the modern incarnations of these places flash before my eyes, usually intense summery heat, multi-coloured buildings and a sense of excitement.

[Bill]

I finished Shoot the Piano Player yesterday, my third Black Lizard crime novel in a row.

The protagonist, Eddie, plays piano six nights a week in one of the lowest dives in the Port Richmond section of Philadelphia. One night his estranged brother shows up in bad shape and Eddie, who lives a life uninvolved with other people, is dismayed when, the next day, he finds himself a figure of interest to two gangsters who are very interested in getting in touch with his brother.

There are hints early on that Eddie was once a concert pianist, but now has no ambitions beyond his nightly gig and its subsistence wage. I imagined some kind of existential refusal to thrive on the terms being offered, a kind of Bartelby-like "I prefer not to" in regard to the life of a keyboard virtuoso, like the real-life Ervin Nyiregyházi. When the explanation for his social isolation comes halfway through the short novel, I found it kind of disappointing in its somewhat overdone melodrama.

An entertaining book, with some tense moments and good action sequences, though only one is sustained at any length: a chapter long barroom brawl that I found very well done. As with the earlier paperback original I read from the Black Lizard trio, Swamp Sister, the reader needs to glide over some not-quite-logical actions to accept the plot as it stands and follow the author where he wants to take the reader.

[giveusaclue]

The good news - the Shardlake series by C J Sansom is being televised.

The bad news - it is on Disney+ which I can't get.

[AB76]

giveusaclue wrote: "The good news - the Shardlake series by C J Sansom is being televised.

The bad news - it is on Disney+ which I can't get."

long shot for you: if you are with Lloyds bank, you can get free disney+ as part of the Club Lloyds perks, my brother has this, i havent opted for this yet

I see Sean bean is in it...he is always worth watching!

[AB76]

Really enjoying Catastrophe and Other Stories by Dino Buzzati

A collection of short stories from the brilliant italian author, all of which so far have in barely a dozen pages made me think and wonder at his imagination and the range of his storytelling. His work ranges from comicbook novels (the first of its kind i think), existential brooding classics, childrens books and a few later novels that are just being reprinted by NYRB classics

I especially liked the story Epidemic where a rare strain of influenza is detected that only infects dissidents in an un-named police state. If i had read that during covid it may have been more chilling but its a great idea

thanks paul for the recommendation and i have 15 more stories to read

[giveusaclue]

AB76 wrote: "giveusaclue wrote: "The good news - the Shardlake series by C J Sansom is being televised.

The bad news - it is on Disney+ which I can't get."

long shot for you: if you are with Lloyds bank, you ..."

HSBC!

[AB76]

giveusaclue wrote: "AB76 wrote: "giveusaclue wrote: "The good news - the Shardlake series by C J Sansom is being televised.

The bad news - it is on Disney+ which I can't get."

long shot for you: if you are with Lloy..."

ah..ok...worth a try....i know you love Shardlake!

[Robert]

AB76 wrote: "Gpfr wrote: "Berkley wrote: "FrustratedArtist wrote: " I've got to the reign of boy King Edvard VI... "Edward’s reign, more than any other, saw the obliteration of the country’s religious past,"

A..."

And, of course, dictator of England.

[Robert]

Paul wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Supreme Court and the Trump immunity situation is embarassing, having politically appointed judges in the US system is a major problem when things get messy, like now"

Is the British ..."

The scope of immunity is an issue for the judges. Listening to oral argument in recent cases, I'm impressed by the intelligence of the justices.
In my own practice, I had Rumpole moments-- when I wondered how the lawyer on the bench had ever become a judge. Any system where judges are appointed has the issue of whom they appoint...

[Gpfr]

giveusaclue wrote: "The good news - the Shardlake series by C J Sansom is being televised.

The bad news - it is on Disney+ which I can't get."

Anne had said on WWR that the series was coming, and Lass and I commiserated over the Disney+ question.
However, I discovered that my son and his family have got Disney+ and I've been invited to watch it there — lucky me ...

[Gpfr]

I'm continuing to read (rather slowly) Laure Hillerin's La comtesse Greffulhe (the inspiration for the Duchess of Guermantes) and am now on the final section concerning Proust.

Among her papers was a note, written towards the end of her life, about the Mémoires de Marcel Proust, saying that she'd like to read these volumes "où, parait-il, il serait souvent question de moi".

Proust had sent her each volume as they were published, but had no illusions about her reading them. The first still exists, with its pages uncut.

[AB76]

Gpfr wrote: "I'm continuing to read (rather slowly) Laure Hillerin's La comtesse Greffulhe (the inspiration for the Duchess of Guermantes) and am now on the final section concerning Proust.

Among her papers wa..."

are these memories only available in french?

[giveusaclue]

Gpfr wrote: "giveusaclue wrote: "The good news - the Shardlake series by C J Sansom is being televised.

The bad news - it is on Disney+ which I can't get."

Anne had said on WWR that the series was coming, and..."

Lucky you!

[Gpfr]

AB76 wrote: "Gpfr wrote: "I'm continuing to read (rather slowly) Laure Hillerin's La comtesse Greffulhe"

are these memories only available in french ..."

I think they are, I haven't found any of her books translated into English.

I'm posting another picture of the countess in Photos.

[scarletnoir]

Paul wrote: "Is the British system really any different?.."

Two part answer:

Consequences: if the significantly Trump-appointed Supreme Court decide that 'the President' is above the law, then as someone said this week: "Where, then, is the disincentive for any President to obey the laws?" (or words to that effect). It's a chilling notion that the 'world's most powerful man' should be free of any restraint or consequences. The British equivalents mentioned by you have far less power, therefore the consequences would be far less serious.
It's also an accepted principle in the UK that 'no one is above the law', although in practice it's difficult to imagine some of the shysters who have risen to the top in recent years actually being prosecuted. In France, with regard to recent President Sarkozy:

In 2021, Sarkozy was convicted of corruption in two separate trials. His first conviction resulted in him receiving a sentence of three years, two of them suspended and one in prison; he has appealed against the ruling. For his second conviction in September 2021, he received a one-year sentence, which he is allowed to serve under home confinement; his lawyer said he would appeal this decision.[92]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolas...
Difficult to imagine that happening in the UK or the USA.


Second part: Does the 'old school tie' play too much of a role in British life and politics? Evidently, it does. An absurd proportion of Prime Ministers have attended Oxford or Cambridge, and of those a huge number went to Eton. Are these the best brains available to run a country? The results would suggest otherwise. Apart from politics, we heard recently about how many VERY influential MEN (no women allowed) are members of the Garrick club... the fuss caused a few to resign, but most did not and will continue (presumably) to benefit from the contacts they make.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2...
On a lower level, I can report that in my part of the country your chances of preferment in education or the police are greatly enhanced if you happen to be a Freemason, or if you attend specific churches... and so it goes.

Egalitarianism is a fine principle, and I tried to apply it whenever in a position to affect selections. By and large, though, it's "who you know, not what you know" that wins out.

[scarletnoir]

Robert wrote: "Any system where judges are appointed has the issue of whom they appoint...

Doesn't someone always have to appoint judges? Presumably, they don't just get the job from God via smoke signals... ;-)

In the UK, it's obvious that - as with many top jobs - the top judges are wholly unrepresentative of the population at large, in that they are mainly 1. male; 2. white; and 3. graduates of Oxbridge colleges. They are also (I would assume/guess/infer) far more 'conservative' than most people, though I could be mistaken on that one.

[Paul]

scarletnoir wrote: "Paul wrote: "Is the British system really any different?.."

Two part answer:

Consequences: if the significantly Trump-appointed Supreme Court decide that 'the President' is above the law, then as..."


Thanks very much for your answer. I don't really see much difference between the British and American systems which aren't more or less semantics. Between Anglo and European justice systems, the differences seem more profound

[Berkley]

Paul wrote: "scarletnoir wrote: "Paul wrote: "Is the British system really any different?.."

Two part answer: ..."


Thanks very much for your answer. I don't really see much difference between the British and American systems which aren't more or less semantics. Between Anglo and European justice systems, the differences seem more profound."

A question for Scarletnoir or anyone else, is the Supreme Court in the UK sharply divided between Labour and Tory appointees whose widely differing views on certain subjects are public knowledge? That seems to be where the US stands out from other countries, even if the appointment process isn't all that different.

Here's what wikipedia says about it for the UK:

The Constitutional Reform Act 2005 makes provision for a new appointment process for Justices of the Supreme Court. An independent selection commission is to be formed when vacancies arise.

[AB76]

Berkley wrote: "Paul wrote: "scarletnoir wrote: "Paul wrote: "Is the British system really any different?.."

Two part answer: ..."


Thanks very much for your answer. I don't really see much difference between th..."

as far as i know political considerations or affiliations are rarely discussed or a factor in decisions. I'm not sure if it was different when the law lords presided over decisions, before Blair introduced the SC idea in the New Labour Years

as Paul mentioned, i would suggest there is an establishment bias in the UK courts but not as political as many may think, i cannot remember any major cases in my lifetime where a political slant of any judges or SC judges has been a factor in their opinions or judgements. Unlike the corrupt Clarence Thomas and his right wing judges in the US Supreme Court

[AB76]

Paul wrote: "scarletnoir wrote: "Paul wrote: "Is the British system really any different?.."

Two part answer:

Consequences: if the significantly Trump-appointed Supreme Court decide that 'the President' is ab..."

i for one much prefer the european legal system to the Anglo one(common law vs civil war). Examining magistrates and non adversarial system are my preference, inquisitorial systems seem far more nuanced and fairer

[Robert]

My current reading is following different tracks. The Russian track follows two books: A Writer at War, which draws on the diaries and journalism of Vasily Grossman, edited and translated by Antony Beevor and Luba Vinogradova, and Operation Barbarossa, by Jonathan Dimbleby. Dimbleby's overview draws on a number of sources, for an overview of the Russo-German war. Beevor and Vinogradova follow one journalist as he observes the different fronts, though of course the translators also provide an overview, and quote the observations of Grossman's colleagues.
Grossman reports a very odd rumor that spread among the Germans at Stalingrad, in December 1942, when the tide had turned against them: "...that Hitler himself had visited... and that he had said 'Stand firm. I am leading an army to rescue you.' (He was dressed as a corporal.)"
The Russians had a similar rumor about Stalin, when they were under excruciating pressure.
I'm also following a US Supreme Court track, browsing in Noah Feldman's Scorpions, about the justices appointed by Franklin Roosevelt.
Roosevelt appointed nine (9!) justices during his 13 years in office. An overwhelming influence, yet they followed Lord Bacon's rule: "When one faction is suppressed, the rest divideth."

[Paul]

AB76 wrote: "Paul wrote: "scarletnoir wrote: "Paul wrote: "Is the British system really any different?.."

Two part answer:

Consequences: if the significantly Trump-appointed Supreme Court decide that 'the Pre..."

European justice systems, and I am certainly generalizing from my experience in Italy, are not based upon presumption of innocence. So, double Jeopardy protection is not fundamental, government appeal of findings on innocence is the norm leading to a de facto tyranny of the state. Rights to not self incriminate are nebulous, freedom of speech are very significantly abridged, rights to legal representation are cursory,l. Political leanings of magistrates and cronyism in appointment are essentially the same across the board and I doubt that they can be checked

[AB76]

Paul wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Paul wrote: "scarletnoir wrote: "Paul wrote: "Is the British system really any different?.."

Two part answer:

Consequences: if the significantly Trump-appointed Supreme Court decide ..."

yeah, i am most familiar with french and german legal systems and standards, not so good on Italy, how does civil law function there?

[AB76]

Robert wrote: "My current reading is following different tracks. The Russian track follows two books: A Writer at War, which draws on the diaries and journalism of Vasily Grossman, edited and translated by Antony..."

interesting topics as ever Robert

My Ww2 reading will resume when i finish Buzzati as i will be reading WF Hermans A Guardian Angel Recalls (1971) set during the German invasion of Holland and it could be a very valuable fictional document of that short week of Dutch defiance. Hermans is fascinating writer and it may be more of literary than historical experience

I also aim to read a study of the German plans for invasion of the UK, focusing on the lists drawn up of the people who i would imagine would have been carted off and shot if the invasion had occurred The Black Book by Mei Trow

So i will be on the western front in spring-summer 1940, while you are on the easten front summer 1941 onwards...in our heads!

[RussellinVT]

Rather long, but here goes anyway.

In the old days, in England, there were outright examples of politicians appointed as judges. An Attorney General might be made Lord Chief Justice. A Lord Chancellor might sit regularly in the Judicial Committee of the House of Lords.

By the time I was in practice, from the seventies on, this was pretty much a thing of the past. An LC might sit occasionally. One who sat quite often was Lord Mackay. He was much honoured. You would be hard put to it, from reading his judgments, to know that he had any political connection at all. Of course, since the creation of the UK Supreme Court, the anomalous position of the LC, a member of the Cabinet, sitting also as a judge and as Speaker in the HL, has all gone.

In the general run of cases, whether at first instance or at the appellate level, I do not remember ever having to think about the political leanings of a judge. It was of no consequence who was in power when the judge in question was appointed. What we would be focused on was establishing the relevant facts and then crafting an argument which, as well as having a strong legal foundation, would appeal to any person of good sense and intelligence.

As a solicitor I instructed a good number of barristers who would later go on to become judges, and I got to know many of them quite well. Some practising barristers would at the same time be standing for Parliament, and a few eventually got elected and became Ministers. Again, their actual political leanings were not important. What I was interested in was their technical expertise and their competence as advocates. You did need to be aware of instances where there was personal animosity between a particular barrister and a particular judge, but that typically was what it was, personal, not political.

I recognize that all this may be a reflection of the kind of cases I was mainly concerned with. They were almost all commercial disputes. But even doing the newspaper defence work – which often had a political dimension, including two libel cases brought by a sitting Prime Minister, and a hot-potato government prosecution – the critical issues were whether we could prove the truth of what had been stated in the articles, or whether we could fit it into one of the other available defences, not the identity of the judge.

I may also be well out of touch, as it is now going on for two decades since I was in practice. Maybe someone else knows the political affiliations (if any) of current or recent members of the UK Supreme Court. Apart from the LCs, I don’t and never did.

Not directly on the question, but I think interesting, is something I was told recently by an old friend who rose to high judicial office and is now retired. He and his wife came to stay and we did nothing but talk for three days (and I still have no idea how he votes!). He said the most important person in the court-room is not the judge or any of the barristers. The most important person is the losing party. That party has to leave the court thinking they have had a fair hearing.

[Gpfr]

Regarding the questions of judges and their politics and particularly concerning the Supreme Court —
Of course I'm no longer living in the UK, so here's a question for those who are: do you know who any of the judges of the Supreme Court are?
Apart from Lady Hale whom we all got to hear about before her retirement, I couldn't tell you who any of them are, let alone their political leanings.

[AB76]

Logger24 wrote: "Rather long, but here goes anyway.

In the old days, in England, there were outright examples of politicians appointed as judges. An Attorney General might be made Lord Chief Justice. A Lord Chance..."

very good post Logger!

[AB76]

Gpfr wrote: "Regarding the questions of judges and their politics and particularly concerning the Supreme Court —
Of course I'm no longer living in the UK, so here's a question for those who are: do you know wh..."

i think the reason they are less well known is that their path to the top has been defined by legal excellence above patronage or placement by politicians. Within the legal system they are probably all highly regarded and examples of good jurisprudence, with the US Supreme Court, a good number seem utterly unfit to be in post and that is very sad

As the unfit ones are now following an agenda that seems to have very little to do with the common law essential, that is "precedent", i despair at what damage the US Supreme Court could do to the USA, it could just become a rubber stamping court for the right ..

[AB76]

anyone here read Crow Lake by Mary Lawson, interested in opinions

[scarletnoir]

Berkley wrote: "A question for Scarletnoir or anyone else, is the Supreme Court in the UK sharply divided between Labour and Tory appointees whose widely differing views on certain subjects are public knowledge?"

Judicial appointments in the UK are not based on political affiliation - indeed, I would assume that judges must keep their political preferences to themselves. The only political appointment is that of Attorney General (AFAIK), who is a member of parliament within the governing party.

I would further assume that, given the preferential treatment for 'old school tie' appointees in the judicial system, that the majority would always be 'conservative' with a small 'c' even during periods of a Labour administration.

[scarletnoir]

Logger24 wrote: "Rather long, but here goes anyway...

Maybe someone else knows the political affiliations (if any) of current or recent members of the UK Supreme Court. Apart from the LCs, I don’t and never did..."

Thanks for that very informative comment.

Although as I said I suspect most judges to be 'small c conservatives', that does not mean that their decisions are tainted since they must decide on the facts and the arguments. The court is not the subject of controversy, as in the USA.

[RussellinVT]

Gpfr wrote: "Regarding the questions of judges and their politics and particularly concerning the Supreme Court —
Of course I'm no longer living in the UK, so here's a question for those who are: do you know who any of the judges of the Supreme Court are?..."

Of the twelve on the Court today I instructed three when they were junior barristers, plus one of the four on the Supplementary Panel, and a whole bunch of the twenty-odd on the list of Former Justices. All straight down the middle competent specialist-advocates. I knew others by reputation but never dealt with them personally.

[scarletnoir]

Gpfr wrote: "Apart from Lady Hale whom we all got to hear about before her retirement, I couldn't tell you who any of them are, let alone their political leanings..."

Lady Hale was Chancellor of Bristol University at the time our daughter (no. 1) graduated, and gave by far the most brilliant oration I have ever seen at a graduation ceremony. An outstanding person.

I looked at the list of UK judges on the Supreme Court, and as you say I'd never heard of most of them - only two dimly rang bells: David Lloyd-Jones (probably because he is Welsh!) and Philip Sales (most likely because he was controversially appointed to work for the Treasury during Tony Blair's period as PM... there was some connection.) When Sales was appointed to the Supreme Court, he was nominated by David Gauke - a Conservative MP and member of Theresa May's cabinet. (I don't know the mechanism for appointing judges to the Supreme Court.)

[AB76]

Logger24 wrote: "Gpfr wrote: "Regarding the questions of judges and their politics and particularly concerning the Supreme Court —
Of course I'm no longer living in the UK, so here's a question for those who are: d..."

impressive Logger, did you grow up in the UK then? I had you down as Vermonter for life...oh have i got the wrong person?

[AB76]

scarletnoir wrote: "Logger24 wrote: "Rather long, but here goes anyway...

Maybe someone else knows the political affiliations (if any) of current or recent members of the UK Supreme Court. Apart from the LCs, I don’t..."

its just such a shame in the USA that political appointments are allowed with the judiciary